Snowden’s Favourite Messaging App Adds Disappearing Messages

Signal Messenger is one messaging app that has been famed thanks to its security protocol that is maintained by Open Whisper Systems. Its systems are so good, they have deployed the encryption standard to other platforms like Messenger and WhatsApp. However, Signal has always maintained its minimalistic user interface but still it was lacking some new features that are being added on chat apps.

One of these “new” features that is all the range in these chat apps is the disappearing messages which was popularized in concept by Snapchat. Signal is now the latest platform to support this feature.

Just like the other chatting apps, you can set your messages to expire after a certain period of time where both sent and received messages will be deleted. “Disappearing messages are a way for you and your friends to keep your message history tidy..” Open Whisper touts the feature in their blog. The entire thread can be set to expire in 5 seconds all the way to a week.

This move comes a week after Facebook stealthily updated Messenger with the same feature using Open Whisper’s encryption system so it was only a matter of time they included it to their chatting app. Telegram has their own version which they call Secret Chat and WhatsApp is yet to get this although they have end-to-end encryption on all chats powered by Open Whisper.

Disappearing messages have become the norm and this would be a big blow to law enforcement agencies since tracking these messages will become harder and harder to track.